GLASSBORO — As upper lips across the nation take a break from razors and electric shavers, a group of Rowan University students have taken one day in Moustache March and turned it into a rather peculiar way to raise money for a worthwhile charity.

Selling T-shirts and fake mustaches, a group of Rowan University students along with some Glassboro residents donned both some impressive facial hair and paper cut-outs for the females and the hair-challenged while walking around the student center to raise awareness about strokes.

In its second year, the idea was originally conceived by the Assistant Director of Student Activities Constantine Alexakos.

Alexakos’ father suffered a stroke 11 years ago. While he had taken part in numerous charities since his father suffered the stroke, he had never run one of his own.

However, when on vacation in Colorado, he noticed that a group of people had used the hair-lipped holiday as a way to promote their own charity.

“I said ‘You know, this is something I’ve wanted to do,’ ” said Alexakos of creating his own charity.

Now in its second year, the event brings out males and females willing to walk around the student center with their facial hair front and center.

“Honestly, some people come just for the moustaches,” said Alexakos. “But if somebody can say ‘I don’t know what the signs of a stroke are,’ then maybe they’ll go on the (American Stroke Association’s) website and learn about it.”

According to Sabrina LoBue, a first-year graduate student at Rowan University who helped to organize the event, $4 from every T-shirt bought along with a $1 for every fake mustache sold will go to the American Stroke Association. As of Friday, the group had sold 70 shirts.

Allison Lips and Marissa Wood were two of the students who braved the snow and biting wind to show their support for the cause.

While the two admitted that they were only at the student center on campus because they were looking to grab a bite to eat, the two stylized their own mustaches and showed their solidarity for the cause.

While Lips, a journalism major, had quite the stylish fake mustache complete with bow tie, she said that raising awareness for the causes and symptoms of strokes is not something you normally see. That is what ultimately pushed her over the edge to join the cause.

“It’s also nice to have a different benefit to walk for as opposed to whatever the disease of the week is,” said Lips.